He had star appeal. But really he was all wrong, which is why he made a good Harry Palmer, the Bond antithesis.
First you have the fact that he is working class and blond. Well, Connery was working class, but sort of hid it, or it was less relevant for being Scottish and having a deep voice. Caine could do posh, in Zulu, but it wasn't really him, and he lost something in the transition.
Then you have, when could he play him? For in the 70s he ran to flab and had longish hair, even in Get Carter he has a midrift. (The camera is high up on his naked stroll with a rifle). And in the 60s you had Connery, thanks.
And of course Caine looked nothing like Fleming's hero.
I take all your points. I just thought that had he dyed his hair to Moore’s shade (mid-80s period), and reduced his cockney accent slightly he could have had a chance. I liked him in “Gambit”, and in “Get Carter” he had the menace that Bond has—at least Connery’s version of Bond had.
Incidentally, would James Fox have made a good Bond? He looks like Moore, and was good in the gangster scenes in the first part of “Performance”.
Silhouette ManThe last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,871MI6 Agent
I take all your points. I just thought that had he dyed his hair to Moore’s shade (mid-80s period), and reduced his cockney accent slightly he could have had a chance. I liked him in “Gambit” and in “Get Carter” he had the menace that Bond has—at least Connery’s version of Bond.
Incidentally, would James Fox have made a good Bond? He looks like Moore, and was good in the gangster scenes in the first part of “Performance”.
Yes, I get your point - he could have I suppose as he's of the calibre of Moore and Connery, but he'd have to change so much about himself it'd be a real uphill struggle IMHO. Caine is a great actor, probably better than Connery and I love much of his spy work!
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
He was a great Harry Palmer,he was great in the forth protocol
with Mr Brosnan .Isaw an interview with him and he said he would have loved
to play the part .so yes i think the boy from the elephant would have been a good Bond
By the way, did I tell you, I was "Mad"?
Silhouette ManThe last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,871MI6 Agent
He was a great Harry Palmer,he was great in the forth protocol
with Mr Brosnan .Isaw an interview with him and he said he would have loved
to play the part .so yes i think the boy from the elephant would have been a good Bond
Sadly we'll never know - but then Daniel Craig is surely an atypical choice for James Bond, too, just like Michael Caine, in fact!
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
First you have the fact that he is working class and blond. Well, Connery was working class, but sort of hid it, or it was less relevant for being Scottish and having a deep voice.
Terence Young went through a great deal of effort to eliminate Connery's working-class background. I suspect that if Caine had been chosen to play Bond, Young would have worked on him.
And yes, he probably would have made a great Bond.
osris
Posts: 558MI6 Agent
Comments
First you have the fact that he is working class and blond. Well, Connery was working class, but sort of hid it, or it was less relevant for being Scottish and having a deep voice. Caine could do posh, in Zulu, but it wasn't really him, and he lost something in the transition.
Then you have, when could he play him? For in the 70s he ran to flab and had longish hair, even in Get Carter he has a midrift. (The camera is high up on his naked stroll with a rifle). And in the 60s you had Connery, thanks.
And of course Caine looked nothing like Fleming's hero.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
He made a great anti-Bond in Harry Palmer, though!
Incidentally, would James Fox have made a good Bond? He looks like Moore, and was good in the gangster scenes in the first part of “Performance”.
Yes, I get your point - he could have I suppose as he's of the calibre of Moore and Connery, but he'd have to change so much about himself it'd be a real uphill struggle IMHO. Caine is a great actor, probably better than Connery and I love much of his spy work!
1 - Moore, 2 - Dalton, 3 - Craig, 4 - Connery, 5 - Brosnan, 6 - Lazenby
Yes, The Black Windmill - great film there!
with Mr Brosnan .Isaw an interview with him and he said he would have loved
to play the part .so yes i think the boy from the elephant would have been a good Bond
Sadly we'll never know - but then Daniel Craig is surely an atypical choice for James Bond, too, just like Michael Caine, in fact!
Terence Young went through a great deal of effort to eliminate Connery's working-class background. I suspect that if Caine had been chosen to play Bond, Young would have worked on him.
And yes, he probably would have made a great Bond.